Since the war in Donbass, hate speech and Russiaphobia has spiked

The Council of Europe’s European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) said in its report published on Tuesday that the war in Donbass in Ukraine’s east led to a spike in hate speech and Russiaphobia.

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The commission noted that the Law on Prevention and Combatting Discrimination enacted in Ukraine in 2012 “is largely in line with its recommendations, and that the introduction of provisions prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in the Labour Code in 2015 was a positive development.”

“While we welcome the progress achieved, there are issues that still give rise to serious concern,” said ECRI Chairperson Christian Ahlund. “The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has led to a sharp rise in hate speech over the past three years and has had a negative effect on vulnerable groups in general.”

“In 2014 and 2015, there was an increase in serious violence against LGBT persons. Racist violence committed by police continues to be reported, as well as their failure to intervene to stop racist and homophobic attacks,” the report added.

Paul Antonopoulos is a Research Fellow at the Center for Syncretic Studies. He has an MA in International Relations and is interested in Great Power Rivalry as well as the International Relations and Political Economy of the Middle East and Latin America.